Sorry to hear about your broken leg as well!
I know exactly how you feel, I'm in a walking cast now, but I was in the full leg cast as well, and being a university student I thought I'd be spirited and got a purple one haha, but everyone thinks coloured casts are cool anyways!
As for the itch problem, I had it but I usually just left it, found it went away pretty quickly...the saw to cut my full leg cast off was a small one and when it touches your skin it just vibrates (it's a dull blade) and the smell wasn't too bad on mine...but like Karla said, the dry skin is a little scary to look at, but lots of moisturizer do the job...
I think the worst part was the ankle stiffness, but only a couple visits to my physiotherapist (he's an athlete therapist, because I'm on the varsity team) lead me to having a flexible ankle again (YAY) and a looser calf (finally)!
It gets better though, trust me! And about having to tell the story over and over..I got that ALOT ...mine's not even exciting (a kick to the shin in intramural soccer), but use the benefits while you can (allowing people to hold the door open, get you food, etc)...I'm an independent 18 year old, but I learned to enjoy those benefits!